


Have I Ever Let You Down

by Harsley



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Post 4x11, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-21 17:11:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1557917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harsley/pseuds/Harsley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Gallaghers and Co. rally while Ian is bed ridden.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lip took one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it out the window unceremoniously. He had borrowed Amanda's car for the evening while she stayed the night at her sorority house, which was beyond a godsend. Otherwise, he would be hiding behind the same trashcans across the street from the Milkovich house that he and Ian had ducked behind years ago while waiting for Mandy's older brothers. This evening, however, he was waiting for Mandy's hulking boyfriend to leave for work. The last time they crossed paths, the guy tried to kick ass and he wasn't too keen for a repeat performance. 

Finally, Lip spotted a large figure in a neon green vest exiting the house. Kenyatta. He waited for the large man to turn the corner before turning off the car and making the all too familiar trek into the Milkovich house, not bothering to knock. 

He walked in and saw a woman with badly dyed hair, rocking a baby back and forth. She turned and saw him, and immediately clutched the baby close to her chest. "Who the fuck are you?" she had a thick Russian accent but spoke surprisingly good English. 

"I'm, uh, Lip," he said lamely before adding, "Ian's brother. He hear?" 

"Orange boy? He's with husband, in there." 

"Thanks." Lip approached a room with the door slightly ajar. From where he stood in the hallway, he could hear a voice speaking softly from inside. Not wanting to eavesdrop, he lightly rapped in the door. The voice immediately stop and soon Mickey Milkovich himself filled the doorway. 

"Bout fucking time," Mickey whispered. "Where the fuck you been?" 

"I had to wait for Kong to leave for work," Lip replied, trying not to lose his patience. "You wanted Kenyatta to make a scene with Ian like this?" 

"No, that's the last thing I fucking want." 

Mickey sighed and Lip could see the signs of weariness on the shorter man that were all too familiar; the dark circles under his eyes, his all ready pale skin even more washed out, hair greasy from neglect. Lip took pity on Mickey and told him, "I got it covered here. Why don't you shower, get something to eat." 

"I can't leave him like this." 

"He's not going anywhere, Mickey." 

Mickey looked back at Ian before shoving past Lip, heading toward the kitchen. "Fifteen minutes." 

Lip walked into the bedroom and found it was plunged into near darkness, except for the last rays of sunlight of the day pouring in through the curtains. Lip, however, could still make out his brother lying cocooned in nothing but a white sheet, facing away from the door. 

"Hey," Lip spoke hesitantly. His brother didn't answer but he hadn't expected him to. So Lip continued on as he sat on the foot of the bed. "I passed all my classes, so I get to stay in school. Maybe next year they'll actually let me in a robotics lab instead of reading Nietzsche. Carl's girlfriend's family finally left so you could sleep in your old bed if you wanted. Mickey too, even. I don't know if Fiona told you but she got a new job waitressing. She's also going to AA and NA meetings..." Lip kept talking, not really sure what he expected to happen but finding himself unable to shut up. Luckily for him, Ian didn't tell him to go away like he did with the others. He just rambled on about nothing and everything until Mickey kicked him out.


	2. 10 and 0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fiona and Mickey but heads

Fiona waited in the Alibi Room nervously, a glass of pop clenched in her hands, her eyes trained on the door. V and Kev had long given up on asking her what was up, eventually leaving her alone while she waited impatiently. She took in the new undocumented Hispanic and Russian workers filing in and out, filling her ears with strange patois usually foreign to Chicago. Eventually, the person she was looking for made his entrance.

"Colder than Jack Frost's balls out there," Mickey said to no one in particular as he made his way to his usual seat in the bar. He was halfway there when he noticed Fiona occupied it. "Hey." 

"Hey," she replied uneasily, to unsure how to approach the notoriously volatile man. "Debbie drop off the stew I sent by earlier?" 

"Yah, thanks." 

"Sheila made it. I just put into tupperware; my specialty." 

"Well, everyone was pretty fucking tired of eating stale waffles so you did us a favor." 

Fiona took a sip of her flat soda, finding her mouth suddenly dry. She could feel Mickey getting antsy so she mustered up her courage to say, "We need to talk about Ian." 

"Thought we had," Mickey began to walk away so Fiona abandoned her drink and followed him as he made his way upstairs. 

"It's been three days with him like that; laying up in bed, not talking, not eating." 

"Three days and you're ready to give up on him?" Mickey stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Fiona. 

"Give up?" 

"Yeah, give up." 

"Mickey, you don't get this." 

"I've been with him everyday since he got back. I get everything about this." 

Fiona scratched her head, unable to find the words to explain this to a man who looked like a little lost boy. He took advantage of her contemplative silence to take a seat a table. After a moment, Fiona joined him. 

"You know, when he gets up," she began to explain, "he's going to maniac then it'll be back to this then it'll be maniac again. That's it 10 to 0 and back. There is no taking care of him til he gets better because without him getting professional help, there is no better. Only 10 and 0." 

"Pep talk over?" Mickey stood up. He tried for casual but Fiona could see his hands shaking as he stuffed them into his coat pockets. 

"For now. I gotta get to work. I'll be over after my shift so we can talk about this." 

"And if I'm done talking?" 

"He's still a minor and I'm still his guardian. I can have him committed." 

"Yeah? Just fucking try." 

"This tough guy act usually work for you? 'Cause I'm not buying it." 

Mickey marginally softened. "You wanna talk? I'll be done here around nine." 

"See you then." 

Fiona managed a smile as she exited the bar for the first time in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian gets an unexpected visitor.

Mickey opened the door, expecting Fiona to be on the other side. Instead, he found Batshit Sheila Jackson in his doorstep with a huge roasting pan in her hands. She stuffed it in Mickey's arms as she walked in liked she owned the place. 

"Yes, please come in," Mickey slammed the door with his foot. His eyes followed the woman as she made herself at home in his kitchen,  


"I brought leftover pot roast," Sheila was saying, "with mashed potatoes and snow peas. I even bought over some of Hymie's old stuff I forgot I had for your baby."  


"I'm sorry but what the fuck are you doing here?"  


"Fiona's running a little bit behind at worked so she asked me to check on Ian."  


"He's sleeping."  


Except Sheila wasn't listening. She was riffling through a bag, pulling out several ziplock bags with large pill bottles inside. She lined them up on the counter, making sure the labels were each faced in the same direction. Mickey could read the names on the bottle; Haldol, abilify, seroquel, prolixin, lithium. He couldn't even pronounce half the shit.  


"These all yours?" Mickey asked, setting down the pan.  


"Just the lithium," Sheila shrugged. "I've been off the hard stuff since Karen left. Go figure. The other stuff I got from Jody's old connection. You know, for Ian."  


"And he's gotta take all of it?"  


"At first it's a bit of mix and match. Trial and error. It took me years to get my meds straightened out but look at me now!"  


Mickey didn't think it was much of pretty picture but he refrained from saying so. Instead, he took a beer out of the fridge and offered one to Sheila who declined. He expected her to make her exit but instead she rocked back and forth anxiously.  


"You want something else?" he asked her finally.  


"Well, I think I would be a really good person to talk to Ian considering all that I've been through. You know with the obsessive compulsive disorder, my agoraphobia--"  


"He ain't afraid of spiders and shit."  


"Not arachnophobia. Agoraphobia, like when I was afraid to leave my house."  


"He's sleeping."  


"Please. Just five minutes."  


Mickey glanced at the medications and the food Sheila brought in, then at her earnest face. Besides, if half of what he heard was true, she knew more about being fucked up in the head and getting better than anyone else he knew. He raised his hand in surrender.  


"All right, five minutes," he conceded. "Just... don't push him."  


"Great, thank you," Sheila looked around the shoddy house. "Where is he?"  


"Back there." Mickey pointed in the direction if Terry's old room.  


Sheila thanked him again before heading to where Ian still lay. He lasted all about thirty seconds, examining the pill bottles and the food before he went over to eavesdrop outside the bedroom. Sheila's naturally soft voice was lowered even more as she spoke soothingly to the young redhead.  


"I may not know what it's like to have a mentally ill parent," she was saying, "but I know what it's like to be one. All the mistakes Eddie and I made with Karen ended up with her being in a coma but this... this is almost worse. This isn't something you can wake up from. It can be a... a nightmare that never ends if you let it. And trust me, I know all about living that nightmare. I thought for so long it lived outside my house but then I realized it lived in my mind. The nightmare was part of me. And I'm so sorry that now you have a nightmare too."  


Mickey wondered if that was it was like for Ian. Being trapped in the darkest part of his mind with no viable escape.  


"I didn't even have a great support system like you do. I mean you have Fiona and Debbie and Mickey--"  


"Mickey?" Ian's voice was barely above a whisper but to Mickey it was loud and clear.  


"Yes, honey," Sheila reassured him. "You have Mickey."


End file.
